City Of Quartz
The chapter starts with a brief excerpt detailing how intellectualism has become the latest fad, it then relates L.A.s history as a city without a distinctive cultural and academic history to show the hypocrisy and naivety of such a claim. Having no successive generations of academics to truthfully, study and establish facts has created a chasm of actual research recording L.A and Southern California’s evolution, development and change. This absence of research has allowed the myths created to, in some instances, cement themselves into the material landscape of the city resulting in ‘’not fantasy imagined but fantasy seen’’. ALAN SEGER
The chapter looks at the roles different groups of intellectuals played in constructing or deconstructing L.A mythography starting with the booster era. It also looks at attempts to establish authentic epistemologies about Los Angeles with Louis Adamic’s initial efforts in the Debunkers period.
The Boosters
Over a 35 year period from 1880 - 1915 L.A. emerged as the largest city in the west with a population of close to a million. The growth, production, population and income it achieved was way out of proportion to its production base and made it the first post-industrial city. It’s success and growth can be attributed to real estate capitalism/ speculation fuelled by the mass migration of affluent middle class from mainly the Midwest who were sold the city and invested savings into its real estate.
The booster era was symbolised by General Otis’s relentless promotion of Southern California and the myth making devised and propagated by Charles Fletcher Lummis. Through the use of a variety of features and devices; promoted sunshine, rising land values, creation of the open shop and the construction of an idealised, culturally rich past L.A. was boosted to persuade people to visit and relocate to Southern California.
The creation of a false historical culture, the mission myth, originated from the Helen Hunt Jackson novel Ramona.
The chapter looks at the roles different groups of intellectuals played in constructing or deconstructing L.A mythography starting with the booster era. It also looks at attempts to establish authentic epistemologies about Los Angeles with Louis Adamic’s initial efforts in the Debunkers period.
The Boosters
Over a 35 year period from 1880 - 1915 L.A. emerged as the largest city in the west with a population of close to a million. The growth, production, population and income it achieved was way out of proportion to its production base and made it the first post-industrial city. It’s success and growth can be attributed to real estate capitalism/ speculation fuelled by the mass migration of affluent middle class from mainly the Midwest who were sold the city and invested savings into its real estate.
The booster era was symbolised by General Otis’s relentless promotion of Southern California and the myth making devised and propagated by Charles Fletcher Lummis. Through the use of a variety of features and devices; promoted sunshine, rising land values, creation of the open shop and the construction of an idealised, culturally rich past L.A. was boosted to persuade people to visit and relocate to Southern California.
The creation of a false historical culture, the mission myth, originated from the Helen Hunt Jackson novel Ramona.